Ducati Corse general manager Gigi Dall’Igna branded Brazil as below expectations despite pole position and a Sprint win, urging the team to keep working without panicking. He praised Di Giannantonio’s performance but pointed directly to Bagnaia’s qualifying crash as critical, noting that at Goiania, where overtaking was almost impossible, recovering from 11th was an enormous ask. Marquez finished fourth despite riding on the defensive all race.

Jorge Martin arrives at COTA carrying the physical toll of back to back race weekends. He told media in Texas he is feeling pain after Brazil, admitting consecutive rounds are not ideal for his body right now. He puts his current fitness at 95% and expects to hit peak condition by Jerez. Despite that, he believes he is a better rider now than during his 2024 title winning season. The Martinator is back.

Marc Marquez heads to the Americas Grand Prix as the most successful rider at Austin, holding seven MotoGP wins from ten starts. The Spaniard ruled the circuit with a six-race winning streak between 2013 and 2018 and added another victory in 2021. All his Austin wins resulted in podium finishes, his main setbacks were crashes while leading in 2019 and again in 2024.

Marco Bezzecchi arrived in Brazil on Friday, struggling for motivation and two seconds off the pace. By Sunday he led from lights to flag for his fourth straight Grand Prix win. The boost he needed came from Valentino Rossi, who texted him race morning to tell him he was on a roll and to go for it.

Max Biaggi has backed Marc Marquez to win the 2026 MotoGP title despite the Spaniard failing to reach the Grand Prix podium in either of the opening two rounds. The Aprilia ambassador told La Gazzetta dello Sport that Ducati and Marquez remain the favourites, adding that beating Marquez is difficult and becomes even harder if he has the best bike. Bezzecchi leads by 11. COTA starts Friday.

MotoGP Race Direction has completed its investigation into the Brazil track chaos at Goiania, confirming all issues will be rectified before the 2027 return. Saturday’s sinkhole was caused by an undocumented old sewage system collapsing beneath the surface, while Sunday’s asphalt degradation at Turns 11 and 12 resulted from significant heat and track activity after the Moto2 race. The circuit had not even wanted to host MotoGP until 2027.

MotoGP introduces the FIM Harley-Davidson Bagger World Cup at COTA this weekend, a brand new support series featuring heavily modified Road Glide touring machines producing over 200 horsepower. Nine riders across four teams take part, with two races running on Saturday alongside the MotoGP Sprint. All nine riders completed the first ever official test at COTA last weekend, covering 578 timed laps. Bagger racing going global.